Ok I have a portable hard-drive that I use to dump images on vs. a laptop when I'm out on assignment. The power adapter has been replaced and when I call the manufacturer to get a replacement I can't get anybody that speaks English and I end up getting frustrated and hang up [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

So, the question is this. The factory adapter was 5 volt. I can find a 4.5 volt at Radio Shack....are there any problems with doing this. It's only used to charge the battery.

I'm assuming that means the hard drive has a rechargeable battery? Do you know the voltage rating on the battery? It's hard to say, but if the charging mechanism was pretty straight-forward, I'd say you would probably need the 5V charger, IMO. Again, it depends on the battery voltage, especially if the voltage is like 4.5V or higher. Voltage is analogous to pressure. This is somewhat crude, but if you think of water, high pressure flows to lower pressure. The same or lower pressure won't work in filling something. So I would say try to find a 5V adapter.

Who makes the hard drive ? And what model is it ? I might be able to help you out. Don't just plug in any old 5v adaptor.. You need to know a few other things about it. Stuff link is the tip + or - ? How much current you need it able to deliver ?

Try my favorite Battery - Electric Adapter place, it's www.thomas-distributing.com That's where I got my Maha battery charger and PowerEx batteries. They have batteries in any ma you could imagine. I did a search for just "5V" and they have an adapter that's 5V 1600ma. Adapters are weird things, they have different voltages and different end plugs. I have an adapter that's the same voltage I need for a Marshall mini amp, but the silver end is too long for it. Good luck hunting.